meet the instructor
Hi there!
My name is Emily Zeller and I am a retired Air Force officer. After serving for 21 years I retired from my last duty station in CA. Wanting to be closer to family, my husband and I decided to put down roots in Knoxville TN with our two youngest children.
I found ISR in 2018 when my son was about 18 months old. I felt swimming was an important skill that I wanted my children to have so I tried “swim lessons” when he was 9 months old. To say I was underwhelmed with being told to teach him to blow bubbles in the water by the instructor is an overstatement. But after my commander told me about the ISR course she had her three kids participate in I knew that was what I had been looking for and reached out to the instructor recommended to me.
It was not easy to work full time and still meet the required five day a week commitment. But I did it! Very pregnant with my daughter I drove an HOUR every day to bring him to a fantastic ISR instructor, Mr. Todd, who taught him to swim-float-swim. It was so exciting watching him learn, seeing just how capable he was and how confident he became! Then ten months later I did it again with my daughter (just not very pregnant this time, ha) and Mr. Todd taught her how to roll back and float. I still smile watching the videos of the big smiles she’d get on her face when she was picked up after floating by herself.
Two years prior to retiring from the Air Force I started to do a little soul searching to figure out what I wanted to do as a second career. I knew that I did not want to become a military contractor, which would have been the easiest transition, and I also didn’t want to go into management. I found what I truly missed was the feeling that through my service I’d helped people.
It was while I was sitting on the pool deck watching my son and daughter in refresher lessons in 2021 with Mr. Todd that I thought to myself, “Todd has the perfect job. He gets to hold and teach cute babies and kids important life saving skills and how to safely have fun in the water. He provides parents greater peace of mind that their child’s skills along with other drowning prevention techniques will keep them safe. He HELPS families. That’s absolutely what I want to do after this Air Force thing!”
So after retiring and moving across the country in 2022, I went through the intensive instructor certification course which consists of six weeks of hands-on, in-water training with a ISR Senior Master Instructor. Five days a week I was in the pool four hours a day with ACTUAL students of all ages. Following my in water work, I had daily academic training in anatomy, physiology, child psychology, behavior and development as well as sensorimotor learning in relation to the aquatic environment. Additionally, I am CPR, First Aid and AED certified.
I am passionate about teaching ISR Self-Rescue skills and committed to serving my community because there is nothing more rewarding than to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families. I’m looking forward to meeting you and your little ones soon.